Cancer, Alzheimer's inversely related

Scientists theorize a genetic connection could be behind relationship

4:04 AM,
Jul. 12, 2013

Written by

Karen Weintraub
| USA Today

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease - and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published Thursday in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43 percent lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35 percent lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.